Monthly Girls' Fairy Tale
by Neff Graham
Summary: A glass slipper becomes a white bow. Add a timid bandit, a lazy prince, a terrifying duchess, the world's most naive man, a princess with flirty tendencies, and an advisor who can't control his fist, and Prince Umetarou just doesn't know what to do anymore. [Retellings of Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin with original stories mixed in. Nozakura, MayuMiko, WakaSeo, HoriKashi. Hiatus.]
1. Chapter 1

**AN: A mixture of fairy tales with one original one, based off of a conversation on tumblr. Welcome to the prologue. Yes, every chapter will be short.**

x

"Attention, all fair maidens of Romance Kingdom!" A herald wearing clothes spun of the finest thread called from the village square. "The just King Nozaki shall be holding a birthday celebration for his oldest child, Umetarou, who will be turning 18 in two weeks. For this momentous and joyous occasion, our king has proclaimed that all the ladies of the kingdom are to attend."

The crowd that had formed around the herald murmured. All the ladies? But there were some who could barely even afford the clothes on their own back, much less a fancy ball gown!

The messenger sensed the unease within the minds of the crowd. "Fear not, dear people. The king has offered dresses to all maidens who wish to attend and cannot afford one of their own. These are generously paid for by the Prince Yu- ahem, Princess Yuu of our neighboring kingdom, who will also be in attendance."

The girls in the crowd cheered, and whooped, and applauded. Not only for the generosity of the neighboring princess, but for her declared attendance as well. There were none in the kingdom who had not even heard of the charm of Princess Yuu, the legendary lady who could make every girl swoon with her easy manners and flirtation.

After the herald had finished handing out the ornate invitations, a petite girl with bright orange hair smiled widely. She was not so excited for the news of Princess Yuu as she was for the prospect of even attending a royal ball in the first place. Having grown up her whole life in poverty, despite having assistance offered to her by her dear friend, the Duchess Yuzuki, the girl, Chiyo Sakura, was not used to such luxuries. Despite her difficult life, she was grateful for it, for her toil had made her strong, and compassionate to the trials of others.

Chiyo was a beautiful girl, one who the whole village knew to be thoughtful and kind, if a bit, well, out of it. The fact that she was best friends with the near legendary flirt and playboy vigilante Mikoto Mikoshiba certainly helped her become popular enough. Even though she, herself, never really understood why everybody thought Mikorin, as she thought of him, was so suave. They didn't know him very well, but Chiyo knew him better than anybody else. So she also knew the way he would collapse in on himself after saying anything even remotely flirtatious. She tried to convince him to stop doing it in the first place, but old habits are hard to break, she supposed.

Smiling widely, she headed back to her small home, a shack that looked to be on the brink of collapse. Despite its unsturdy appearance, Chiyo knew it would hold together a bit longer. At least, she hoped it would.

"Mikorin! Are you home yet?"

After hearing no response, Chiyo set down her invitation on the makeshift table, and left the house, entering the woods to find some dinner for her and her roommate, her signature double bows blowing lazily in the wind.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter 1 is here very quickly, and we meet our good friend Mikorin. Hi. Bye.**

x

Mikorin came home to an empty shack. Figuring Chiyo must have already left to find dinner, he set down his pack on the table. Before he completely relaxed, however, he noticed the shiny stationary on the edge of said table.

"Hm... a ball? And all the ladies... Oh my god, Chiyo-chan must be ecstatic!" Mikorin grinned excitedly, knowing his friend's love for exquisite and feminine activities. "But wait a second... she can't afford a dress!" Mikorin furrowed his brows, attempting to find a way to help his friend. "Ah! I've got it!" A plan already formulating in his mind, he slipped on his usual thievery outfit, which was just a black scarf he found on the side of the road and some black curtains sewed together to make a cloak. Not very fancy, but Mikorin was not one to splurge with what he stole, preferring to give it to those even less fortunate. But this time... well, Mikorin figured that he could be a little selfish for his friend, since she barely knew the meaning of the word.

He slipped out of the shack, heading in the direction of the nearby manor owned by the Seo family. He'd never dared to trespass there before, as Chiyo claimed she was on friendly terms with the Duchess Yuzuki, but Mikorin knew this was no time to be considering such trivial matters. _He_ was the only friend she needed, after all!

Okay, maybe he was just a _little_ scared of being left behind.

Catching his breath after the not-very-long trek, Mikorin leaned against the high stone fence of the manor. Staying close to the stone bricks, he creeped his way to the back, keeping an eye out for any dogs, or for the terrifying Yuzuki herself. Seeing no threats, he threw a rope around a stone at the top of the fence, and began to climb up the stones. He was thankful that the trek took enough time for the sun to go down, though he was sorely aware of the fact that he was currently missing dinner.

It was a climb that seemed to last forever, and Mikorin swore a million times that he was quitting this criminal lifestyle immediately after this final mission. But finally, the top was in sight, and he gratefully grabbed the hand outstretched to him, using it to pull himself onto the ledge.

Wait. What?

"Ah!" Mikorin jerked his hand out of the stranger's grasp.

"Hey now, hey now, quiet down. You're gonna wake up Ryousuke." The blonde girl yawned in boredom. "You scream like a girl. Did you know that? Anyways, I've seen you around before. You're that playboy who's always preying on Chiyo, right?"

"Wh-whaaa? No, no no no no no!" Mikorin took a second to analyze the girl. "Wait... you're not... Duchess Yuzuki, are you?" His face drained of all its blood. Horror stories were told about this lady. A terrifying demon, some called her. A witch, declared others. Though Chiyo explained that she really was a good person in her own way, Mikorin had heard far too much for even that to dissuade him of his fear. "Wait a second! Chiyo and I are _just friends_!

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Anyways, come 'ere. I've got something for you." Yuzuki took his hand again, leading him down a ladder on the inside of the courtyard. As soon as they were both on the ground, Yuzuki smiled deviously. "I've got all _sorts_ of things, really."

Mikorin gulped.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi. Lazybones and storyteller are here.**

x

"Umetarou, would you please go find your brother and let him know that the tailor is here for his new measurements?" The tired King Nozaki rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm so stressed out, I can't even deal with trying to decipher his broken sentences right now."

"Yes, father. But I'm not sure why you'd decide to throw a ball for me if you're this stressed out. It's really not logical." Leaving the king's office, Prince Umetarou paused for a moment, before heading in the direction of the royal gardens.

Along the way, he passed by Maeno, one of his advisors. The flamboyant man shouted a happy 'hello' in his direction, but Umetarou ducked his head and walked faster. He was absolutely _not_ in the mood to deal with more tanuki puppets at this time of day. Besides, the faster he got to Mayu, the faster he would be able to drag him back to their father.

Entering the gardens, Umetarou expertly made his way through the labyrinth like hedges, passing servants who sometimes bowed, but often just said 'good afternoon, Your Highness'. Umetarou had a policy of friendliness with the staff of the castle, allowing him further opportunities to observe their characters.

Finally entering the center of the garden, Umetarou sighed in relief as he saw his brother sprawled out upon the bench, fast asleep. Mayu had a tendency to sleep anywhere he deemed fit, even if it was uncomfortable for others. Umetarou noticed that Mayu was wearing his jogging outfit, which explained how he had the energy to even get to the center of the gardens. Sighing again, he shook Mayu's shoulder.

"Mayu, it's time to wake up. The tailor is here for your new suit to be fitted."

Mayu opened his eyes and shielded them from the bright sun. "Time?"

"Three o'clock. You've been needed since one. Now hurry up, dad is getting seriously stressed out." Umetarou hoisted his brother off the bench, groaning in annoyance when Mayu leaned on him in apparent exhaustion as they walked towards the exit. "Why do you insist on being so lazy all the time?"

"Easy. Brother has puppets," Mayu mumbled. His words may not have made sense to anybody else passing by, but Umetarou grimaced.

"Just because it's easy to be lazy, doesn't mean you should be. And my puppets are an art form, supplemental to my tasks." Even though he tended to think about his stories all the time, even when filing papers for his father. "Don't just put all your energy into fencing. You need to learn how to be a proper diplomat as well."

As they neared the exit, Mayu grumbled. He wasn't even the first son! Why should he have to be so active in politics while Umetarou got to parade around town in disguise putting on puppet shows? It wasn't fair. Somehow, though, he got the feeling that something would change with his brother's rapidly approaching eighteenth birthday. Mayu wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that something would be different.

Mayu decided that focusing on unnecessary details would waste his energy, and quickly dismissed the thought as Umetarou muttered to himself about new puppet designs and a need for a new story.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Friendship fluff and general Seo antics. You've been warned.**

x

Chiyo returned home to find Mikorin out, and his scarf gone. She sighed in annoyance. That guy could be a real pain, and one of these days he was gonna get caught by the wrong person and send them both to jail. Slipping her own basket of fruit onto the floor, she laid down and stretched her tired legs. Without realizing, she drifted off into a light sleep, exhausted from the toils of the day.

When she woke, it was late. Very late. And Mikorin still wasn't home.

Wherever he was, he should have returned by now. Even he wasn't stupid enough to miss dinner when they barely got enough food as it was. They just barely got by, even with Yuzuki's help. Chiyo couldn't help but worry- what if he really had gotten himself into trouble? No amount of flirting (and subsequent crying) would be able to sway the courts.

Biting her lip, she grabbed an apple from the basket beside her. As she gnawed on it slowly, to make it last, Chiyo pondered her options. She could wait here until Mikorin finally returned, make the half hour trip in the growing darkness to Yuzuki's place and ask her for help, or she could go into town to search for him there.

Chiyo knew there wasn't really an option. Mikorin was her best friend, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him and she just sat there. Yuzuki was her best bet.

Grabbing another apple in case she found him on the way, Chiyo pulled on her warm boots and exited the shack. She shivered- despite it being June, the night breeze still brought forth a chill. She walked as quickly as she could, which, alas, was not very quickly at all. Short legs do one no favors when one is in a hurry.

As she neared the tall pine tree which marked the halfway point of the journey, Chiyo sighed in relief. Fifteen minutes is a long time when you're worried and cold. She paused against the tree for as brief of a rest as she could manage.

But as she continued her journey, she noticed an odd silhouette coming toward her. Silhouettes? One was very obviously a person, but the other was so obscured by something very large. As she quickly approached the figures, she realized that the first was none other than Yuzuki!

"Thank god, Yuzuki! I was just on my way to your place. Do you happen to know anything about where Mikorin-" Chiyo halted as she saw Yuzuki's somewhat disturbing grin. "Uh, Yuzuki?"

"Yeah, I know where he is. He's actually been a _huge_ help to me today. Haven't you, bud?" Yuzuki nudged the other person- clearly a person now, the face still blocked by several extremely large bags- roughly in the side with her elbow.

The responding grunt of pain was one Chiyo was unfortunately very familiar with. "Mikorin... what on earth are you doing?"

Mikorin practically threw the bags down at his feet and ran to hide behind Chiyo protecting himself from the monster of a duchess. "I'm so sorry I'll never try to steal anything again how about this I'll even go join a monastery and live a life of peace and joy or whatever but _please don't let her anywhere near me again!_ "

Yuzuki laughed, the sharp sound brutally cutting through the white noise of the summer cicadas.

Chiyo looked between the two, confusion and shock written all over her face. As Mikorin's confession-plea finally processed, she pushed his hands off her shoulders and faced him fully. "Mikorin, did you try to _steal from Yuzuki?_ "

"Haha, yeah, he did!" Yuzuki responded, an absurd amount of glee present in her tone. "It was hilarious, actually, he kept wheezing as he tried to scale the wall, I could barely keep myself from falling off from laughter." She clutched her stomach, laughter pouring out. "And _man_ , you shoulda seen the look on his face when he realized I was there! Ah, good times, good times."

"Mikorin." Chiyo said his name with a deadpan voice, clearly illustrating her disappointment and disbelief.

" _I'm sorry!_ But I saw the invitation to the ball and I knew you would really wanna go and so I figured maybe I could scrape up enough money to buy you a nice dress and some dancing shoes but this lady is a demon and I'm so sorry!" Mikorin burst into tears as Yuzuki's laughter only increased.

Chiyo could do nothing but look to the sky and wonder why she had such weird friends. Where had she gone wrong?

But she felt a pang in her heart as she realized that Mikorin was only trying to help her, even if she didn't need it, and she also noticed that his outfit had been changed into something more deserving of a handsome guy like him, obviously Yuzuki's doing. On second thought, where had she gone right?


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Really late, I know. I'm sorry. But we finally meet the infamous princess!**

x

Princess Yuu Kashima was having a fantastic day. Not only was she able to sneak out of the palace without her stupid (but awesome) advisor catching her, but she _also_ got to flirt with every girl she set eyes on. Despite their lack of extravagant jewelry, Princess Yuu still found each and every one of them to be beautiful, and was always sure to let them know that they were princesses, too. Most of them called her the Prince because of that, but Yuu didn't care, as long as she still got to shirk her responsibilities and have fun.

" _Kaaaashiiiiimaaaaa!_ "

The giggling crowd of lovely maidens surrounding the content princess suddenly ran in fear of the short demon storming towards the village square. Without hesitation, the finely, yet practically, dressed man gripped Yuu's upper arm, did some fancy maneuvers that any normal passerby would have a hard time distinguishing, and flipped her onto the ground.

"Oh my gosh, Prince Yuu, are you okay?" One of the fearful girls exclaimed.

"Don't worry, my- ugh- princess... I'll be... fine, as long as I know that you will be waiti-" The man's hand clamped over Yuu's mouth, effectively shutting her up. He then flipped her over his shoulder, and began the short trek back to the palace.

"Princess, I'm so _sick_ of you skipping out on your duties! You were the one who flippantly decided to have a dress made for every single less fortunate maiden in the Nozaki kingdom for the prince's party. It was your choice, now you plan the financial aspect!" Masayuki Hori, royal advisor to Princess Yuu, had a very hard time keeping the princess in line and on task. When she was focused, she was practically a genius when it came to negotiations, financial management, and foreign relations. Her charm made everybody attempt to fulfill her requests, and she was always fair about it, too.

Unfortunately, those times were getting increasingly rarer as Yuu got older and and started flirting with anybody she could get her hands on. Usually girls. Masayuki sighed as they neared the gates, unsure of how his life had gone from helping the royal family run the country, to having to babysit the princess. Yuu's escapades have gotten so frequent that the king and queen even gave him express permission to use physical force to return her to the palace.

And boy, did Masayuki _love_ to use physical force.

When they finally entered the palace grounds, Masayuki put Yuu down on a bench. "Princess, this has got to stop."

"Awww, but Hori-chan, if I weren't there, who would help the girls feel less lonely?" Yuu batted her eyes flirtatiously at Masayuki.

"The other villagers. Now come on, that's enough of a rest for you. You and I have to make a very special trip to the treasury." Masayuki grabbed Yuu's arm once again, and pulled her along into the palace itself.

"Ooh, Hori-chan, how many girls do you think will be at Prince Umetarou's birthday party?"

"I don't have a clue. Probably every unmarried girl in the kingdom. Not like it'll help him find a wife, since you'll be there. They're probably only going to come for you, anyway."

"Naw, Hori-chan, don't say that! Umetarou can be weird sometimes with that puppet hobby, but he's not too bad!" Out of the corner of her eye, Yuu spotted the new maid who was still being trained. "Hello, my dar- oof!" A jab to the stomach.

Masayuki Hori was having a horrible day.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Um. I'm sorry for the delay. Finals, and then hip surgery. It all kinda. Yknow. Piled up. Sorry.**

* * *

" _Hey, hey, Waka, let's play some basketball!"_

" _Wha-?! No! You're just gonna keep hitting me in the head with the ball again!"_

" _That's because you're just too slow to catch it. Besides, it's only really fun if it's with you!"_

" _WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"_

Stepping into the village, Hirotaka Wakamatsu sighed. The nostalgia washed over him as he took in the changes that had come since his family moved away when he was six. He really didn't have so many memories of the village, but he remembered one thing very clearly.

There had been a girl he played with a lot.

Hirotaka couldn't remember her name, but he did recall that she was very, well, aggressive. He would come home bruised and bleeding from his knees, and he would have a hard time sleeping at night. Due to the pain, of course, not from the excitement of wondering what they would play tomorrow, why on earth would you think that?

Hirotaka looked around for that one inn he remembered- ah, there it is- and paid for a room. Unsurprisingly, nobody recognized him. He had been a tiny child, and now he was fully grown and muscular from back-breaking work in the fields. Hirotaka left his belongings in his room, and set out to take a walk. It was dark, so he didn't want to stray too far. But the air was so clear and the stars were so bright that he ended up walking longer than anticipated.

The chirping of the cicadas lulled him into a trance like state: he walked without a single negative thought, unusual for him. His head was normally wracked with anxiety about everything: is that man a robber? What if I freeze to death? Well, it's summer, of course I won't freeze to death, but what if I get kidnapped and taken to the far north and freeze there? My family will never know!

But now, none of that plagued him. He simply took in the sky and the stars and the rocks and the trees, and he felt... content. A far cry from his typical restlessness.

He spotted the field where he and the girl would play with each other until both went home with at least 10 new bruises. Hirotaka winced at the memory: he was never quite sure why he kept going back, day after day.

For a moment, he wondered if that girl was still here, and if she possibly remembered him. Then he shook his head; twelve years is a long time.

Slowly, his thoughts crept to the reason of his return to his hometown. In the village his family moved to, farther in the east, Hirotaka worked as a shopboy until he was old enough to start doing heavy farm work. And during the winter, he returned to this job. It was on such winter, when he was 17, that he heard something intriguing from a man restocking his cart for a journey.

He spoke of a maiden with a voice like golden silk, and eyes that were filled with fire. They called her Lorelei, for her voice that can drive a man insane with longing. The rumor was that every man who had attempted to court her left the town the next day without a word to anyone.

One day, Hirotaka asked where this infamous maiden lived. To his surprise, his birthplace was the village the man gave as an answer. At that moment, Hirotaka knew that he had to meet this Lorelei. He didn't want to become a suitor, he only wanted to hear that acclaimed voice for himself, just once.

Gradually, Hirotaka brought his senses back to the present, and realized just how far he had gone. Sinister shadows formed from the big rocks on the side of the path, ominous and imposing. He had no clue how he got there. Hirotaka bit his lip when he noticed just how unfamiliar his surroundings were. He was about to turn around, when he heard voices a bit further down the road. Hoping to ask them for directions back to town, he started towards the group.

A soft voice that sounded like a bell said suddenly, "Hey, I haven't heard you sing in a while. That's a shame, isn't it?"

"Eh, really?" The responding voice was deeper, with an almost apathetic tone, though Hirotaka could tell it belonged to a female. "Well I'll sing something right now, if ya want, before you two head on back. Let's see..."

Hirotaka paused as the most beautiful sound he had ever heard reached his ears. The words were in a different language, but the voice floated like butterfly wings on the summer breeze, delicate as glass, yet strong as a spider's thread.

The singing continued, filling and ringing through his brain, until the exhaustion of the road from the past few days of traveling suddenly hit him like a rock. Hirotaka practically collapsed where he stood, almost hitting his head on a rock. The last thing he heard was a note faltering, then everything was black.

"Oh my god, Yuzuki, I think I just saw a man collapse over there!"

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, Nozaki-nii-san, can you tell us the story of the girl in the tower, again?" The little children of the servants of the castle crowded around the crown prince, begging for another tale. Prince Umetarou smiled fondly, glad that his little puppet shows could entertain the children while their parents were busy with work.

"Alright, but that's the last story for today. I've got to go prepare for the ball. It is next week, you know!" The girls in the group squealed with excitement, for the crown prince had gotten express permission for the servants' children to attend the ball. "Alright, now... how does this one begin, again?"

The youngest boy in the group, about four years old, raised his hand excitedly. "I know, I know! There was a baker and his wife, and she wanted... um..." He stared into space, trying to recall what it was the baker's wife had wanted.

Suddenly, a feminine voice came from Prince Umetarou's mouth. He moved his puppets along with his words, and a female puppet was saying, " _My dear, all I want in the whole world right now is some of that delicious rapunzel from our neighbor's garden._ " The children cheered, and leaned forward attentively as Nozaki expertly narrated the story with his beautifully handmade puppets.

Xxx

After managing to escape the clutches of the rowdy children, Prince Umetarou sighed. He walked into his office, rubbing his upper arm tiredly. Puppet shows required more strength than one might think, especially when it goes on for two hours.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Umetarou looked up to see Mayu laying across the sofa against the wall.

"Mayu, you should be on your way to your fencing practice now. Anyways, I'm concerned because the paint on these puppet's faces is fading, and I don't wish to bother the painter with such a minor task, especially while he is busy preparing for the ball."

Mayu hummed, not really seeing the point in having faces anyways. It would be much easier to just draw them on. However, his older brother seemed aghast at his suggestion when he had brought it up previously, so Mayu left his thoughts unsaid.

"It would be so much easier if I had some sort of assistant... but it's such a minor job, who would ever want to do it?" Umetarou sighed again, setting the thought aside for now, and sitting at his desk. He would have to look into getting an assistant soon. Perhaps somebody with a similar inclination for storytelling, or someone good with children.

He'd just have to keep his eyes out for somebody like that at the ball.

Without warning, a knock was heard at the door, and Lady Yukari Miyako entered the room, all elegance and naivety. She and Nozaki were good friends, and had been ever since she began living as a member of the court. She even helped him with story ideas from time to time. It was unfortunate that she was under the influence of Maeno, one of the more... _irritating_ advisors.

"Umetarou, I have bad news. Very bad news." Lady Yukari looked away, not wanting to meet the prince's eyes when she delivered the message.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad, Yukari. What is it?" Umetarou braced himself, expecting news along the lines of ' _Princess Yuu has done something stupid again and isn't coming anymore_ ', or other news of a similar vein.

"Uh, well, you see... Duchess Yuzuki has officially sent in her RSVP. It seems she is coming to the ball."

Umetarou's face blanched, his right eyebrow twitching slightly. He definitely wasn't expecting _that_.

"Oh, god _dammit_."


End file.
